Raft, Cuban migrants spotted off Delray Beach

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The US Coast Guard and US Border Patrol are investigating a report of a raft with suspected migrants off Delray Beach.

WPTV

Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WPTV

Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Diane Roxburgh and her husband Bruce had their eyes glued to the water in Delray Beach Thursday morning, wondering if they'd see someone swim on shore.

"We were looking to see, because we figured it might be that," said Diane, who is vacationing in Delray Beach this week.

Just a few hundred yards from the beach, nine undocumented migrants were picked up from a raft in a Boca Raton police boat. All nine were transferred to a US Coast Guard cutter where they were processed.

Officials say they appeared to be of Cuban descent.

A Coast Guard spokesperson says they are increasing patrols along our shores because this is a busy time of year for undocumented migrants to try to make it on dry lane. He said the warmer, calmer water makes it easier to make it on shore.

"There were about 20 policemen down there and as the boats were coming, they came from both directions to head to one spot on the water. They probably stayed there for an hour and a half," said Diane.

Border Patrol agents found another nine undocumented migrants on Jupiter Island early Thursday morning. Agents believe they were all smuggled into the country on a boat from the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica.

Diane says she isn't surprised people were trying to come on shore.

"You could see the planes overhead, so you knew they were searching for something," said Diane.

Reports that people swam ashore in Boca Raton were unsubstantiated.

Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.